Cryptococcus neoformans: plant–microbe interactions and ecology

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftReviewForskningfagfællebedømt

While the opportunistic human pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are often isolated from plants and plant-related material, evidence suggests that these Cryptococcus species do not directly infect plants. Studies find that plants are important for Cryptococcus mating and dispersal. However, these studies have not provided enough detail about how plants and these fungi interact, especially in ways that could show the fungi are capable of causing disease. This review synthesizes recent findings from studies utilizing different plant models associated with the ecology of C. neoformans and C. gattii. Unanswered questions about their environmental role are highlighted. Overall, current research indicates that Cryptococcus utilizes plants as a substrate rather than harming them, arguing against Cryptococcus as a genuine plant pathogen. We hypothesize that plants represent reservoirs that aid dispersal, not hosts vulnerable to infection.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftTrends in Microbiology
ISSN0966-842X
DOI
StatusE-pub ahead of print - 2024

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
The authors thank Professor Andrew Alspaugh, Duke University, USA, for his comments on the draft manuscript. The work was funded by grants NNF17SA0027704 and NNF20OC0059697 to K.S.J. Figures were created with BioRender. No interests are declared.

Funding Information:
The authors thank Professor Andrew Alspaugh, Duke University, USA, for his comments on the draft manuscript. The work was funded by grants NNF17SA0027704 and NNF20OC0059697 to K.S.J. Figures were created with BioRender.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier Ltd

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